Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper humidifying apparatus and an image forming system.
Description of Related Art
In the case where a process that involves heating of paper, such as a fixing process performed in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, is included in image forming, sheets of paper tend to curve, such as becoming wavy, as a result of uneven moisture distribution in each of the sheets of paper due to moisture evaporating from the sheets of paper when heated.
In the aim of solving the above problem, there is known a paper processing apparatus which includes a humidifying unit for applying moisture to sheets of paper after image forming and which corrects curves in sheets of paper by passing them through a wavy concavo-convex unit after moisture has been applied to the sheets of paper by the humidifying unit (for example, see JP 2011-90243).
FIG. 10 is a view showing an example configuration of a humidifying unit in a paper processing apparatus.
The humidifying unit 500 includes a pair of humidifying rollers 501 and 501, water supply rollers 502 and 502 which transmit water to the humidifying rollers 501 and 501 and reservoir units 503 and 503 in which water that is to be supplied to the water supply rollers 502 and 502 is pooled, for example. Moisture is to be applied to sheets of paper P by sandwiching and conveying the sheets of paper P with the humidifying rollers 501 and 501 whose outer circumferences hold moisture.
However, in the above described humidifying unit 500, there is a possibility that paper conveyance be unstable when sandwiching and conveying a sheet of paper P with the pair of humidifying rollers 501 and 501 as a result of the sheet of paper P and the humidifying rollers 501 and 501 becoming highly adhesive to each other and the sheet of paper P winding around one of the humidifying rollers 501 and 501 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 10.